


Timetables and Schoolboy Romances

by amoleofmonsters



Category: Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 13:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amoleofmonsters/pseuds/amoleofmonsters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alek is the new kid in school. Deryn - or rather Dylan - is the boy that befriends him. Crushing ensues. </p><p>"Prompt: Anything Dalek. Preferably adorable fluffiness. Also modern AUs are the bEST THING EVER."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timetables and Schoolboy Romances

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by stopthattimerave of tumblr. Hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> If I said anything super offensive, please tell me! I did my research on trans people, but I could have always slipped up and did something offensive. Don't hesitate to call me out on my bullshit. While I don't entirely read Deryn as trans in the canon, I wanted to make her a ftm trans boy in this modern AU because I think that's the only way to incorporate the whole "Dylan" thing.
> 
> I also wasn't entirely sure how to label the relationship since Alek/Deryn is F/M in canon, but M/M in this fic. That's why there's both.
> 
> Also, I don't live in the UK, but I tried. My research probably has holes in it. Please tell me if I fucked up anything.

The school is large and the layout doesn’t make any sense. Alek ends up making about three laps around the entirety of the building before finally finding his physics classroom. By that point, the class is already half over. Perfect first impression.

Alek walks in and the teacher looks at him skeptically. “You’re late.”

Alek sighs. “I know. I’m sorry.” 

“You’re new, right? Your name’s Aleksander?” 

“Yes, sir. That would be me.”

“There’s a seat next to Dylan.” The teacher points to a sandy blond haired boy near the front of the classroom. Funny enough, he’s the only kid who even looks remotely awake. “Don’t be late again.”

Alek sits down and turns to the boy. “I’m Alek.”

Dylan looks at him out of the corner of his eye, but says nothing. Alek wonders if it’s the accent. He tries again. “You wouldn’t happen to know where the English rooms are?”

It’s then that Dylan turns to look at him and Alek can get a proper look of his face. He has sharp blue eyes and his nose is dotted with freckles. His facial structure is a bit feminine, but it’s by no means unattractive. “I can show you where they are at the end of class. I have Maths, which is near there. Now pay attention or you’re going to be even more behind.” 

“I already took Physics at my old school. This school just didn’t let me take anything else.” 

Dylan glares at him then, but there is something else behind the glare. It seemed as if Dylan is impressed. For the rest of the class, he doesn’t look at Alek again.

Twenty minutes later, the bell rang with a shrill sound. Instantly, the room is filled with the shuffling of students trying to get out of the room as fast as possible. Dylan stands up last and turns to Alek. “Let’s get going.” It’s only at this point that Alek realized that Dylan is actually taller than him. He doesn’t know how to react to that.

The two of them walk out of the room and Dylan is holding a sour expression. Alek knows it’s most likely his fault, but hooking himself onto Dylan is much more preferable than getting lost again. “So what’s your timetable? Sorry if that’s weird, but you’re the first person I’ve talked to in this entire school. It’d be nice to know a familiar face.”

“Let me see yours,” is Dylan’s response and he extends his hand toward Alek. Alek passes the piece of paper over. Dylan studies it as they walk, then passes it back. “You have history with me.” 

Alek is about to say something when they stop at the entrance of a side hallway. “Down here are the English rooms and even farther down is Maths,” explains Dylan. With that, the blond waves and disappears. 

Alek makes it through the day with minimal incident, seeing Dylan one again in history as promised. They don’t speak to each other, however, as Alek is seated at the opposite end of the classroom from Dylan. Alek does, however, meet a pleasant girl named Lilit. She asks him where he’s from and her eyes grow wide as saucers when he tells her he’s the son of an Austrian ambassador. The rest of the class is spent with her begging him to speak German.

He sees Dylan again one more time when he’s walking out of the school, but Dylan doesn’t notice him. Alek thinks about approaching him, but it’s clear he’s in some sort of heated argument with an older boy – a brother, perhaps? The resemblance is striking. 

In Physics the next day, Dylan turns to him first and strikes up a conversation. From then on, their conversations are a regular occurrence and they begin partnering up for labs. Alek quickly proves that he has the uncanny ability to break anything he touches. As brilliant as he is with the material, labs have never quite worked to his favor. Luckily, Dylan is there to correct his mistakes.

They eventually begin hanging out outside of class and Dylan introduces him to his friends. There’s Newkirk, who’s a bit of a simpleton, and Lilit, who Alek had already met. After a few rough patches, they get along like they’ve known each other since forever. 

But when it comes down to it, Alek spends most of his free time with Dylan. The blond, after some grumbling, takes on the responsibility of showing Alek around town. Their trips include the mall, the movie theater, and the best coffee shops. 

Alek realizes one day that he’s falling for his friend. 

It’s a weird feeling, he’ll admit. He’s never been entirely rigid with his sexuality, but Dylan’s Dylan and having a crush on Dylan doesn’t really make sense. He lets it go because Dylan probably doesn’t even like boys.

A few weeks after his realization, Dylan invites him to hang out at his house to play video games. Alek, nervous as hell, shows up right on time. He awkwardly taps on the door and is surprised to see someone other than Dylan answer. It’s the boy Dylan had been fighting with on Alek’s first day and Alek feels pretty content with the fact that his assumption had been right. 

“Der – Dylan! You’re friend’s here,” shouts the brother into the house. He pushes the door open wider, signals Alek to come in, and then disappears. Alek is left standing awkwardly in the foyer.

He doesn’t have to wait long, however, because Dylan appears a few moments later. He’s wearing a white t-shirt and skinny jeans and his hair is a bit of a mess, but Alek still thinks he looks great. 

“You made it!” Dylan waves Alek to follow him. They run up the stairs and into a room. Alek quickly realizes it’s Dylan’s bedroom. The console is already set up and the start screen for a first person shooter is on the telly. 

The room itself is just the way Alek would have pictured it. It’s fairly plain and simple save for the billions of sketches tacked on to the walls. Most of the drawings are of machines: cars, boats, planes, and even toasters and computers. There are a few of people, the details careful. 

Dylan looks at Alek oddly. “You’re really good,” say Alek, answering Dylan’s look. He points to one of the sketches.

Dylan’s face goes red. “T-thank you.” 

“No, really. This is incredible. I would have never managed to pull something like this off. You’re really talented,” says Alek, pointing to the sketch of the toaster. It’s broken open and gears are falling out of the inside. 

Dylan blushes even more and mumbles something under his breath. It sounds like, “I can draw you if you want,” but Alek is pretty sure that’s impossible so he ignores it. He sits down next to Dylan and picks up the controller. 

The room is soon filed with gun shot sounds and Dylan’s cursing whenever he messes up. He’s concentrating a lot, really getting into it, and it shows in his skill. He destroys Alek time after time and Alek can barely get any wins in. 

Once they get sick of the game, they switch to Mario Cart. It’s now Alek’s time to shine and he ends up being so much better than Dylan that he even laps him on a few occasions. After Alek’s seventh win in a row, Dylan huff and says, “I think we’ve played enough.”

“You’re just a sore loser,” taunts Alek.

Dylan shoves him and hisses, “Dummkopf!” It’s the only German word that Dylan has managed to pick up from Alek and it makes Alek laugh every time he uses it.

“Well, you’re still a sore loser.”

“I still won in the other game! You couldn’t even keep up!”

“Well, I let you win!”

“Bollocks! I beat you fair and square! If anyone was letting anyone win, it was me when I let you win in Mario Cart!”

Alek is about to give a retort when his stomach growls. 

Dylan laughs. “By the sound of that, we should probably get some food. There’s pizza not far from here.” He stands and offers Alek his hand. Alek takes it gratefully. 

Since they are both teenage boys, they order a medium sized pizza and then take it to the park down the street. They sit themselves on a bench with the pizza in between them and dig right in. In between bites, they pass back and forth a liter of Coca Cola. 

“So the formal is coming up. Is there anyone you’re thinking of going with?” says Dylan, out of the blue. 

Alek shrugs. “I don’t know most people. What about you?”

Dylan sighs. “Well, there’s this one person, but I doubt they’ll go with me.”

“Why? Who are they?” 

“You wouldn’t know them,” says Dylan hastily. Alek finds the answer odd, but he says nothing about it.

The setting sun casts a shadow on the two boys. Dylan’s eyes are a bright blue as they look anywhere but at Alek. Alek decides then that he owes it to his friend to be honest. His feelings should be out in the open so that he can get his rejection and move on. Dylan clearly has feelings for someone else so Alek has no business liking him. “There is someone I’m thinking of asking, actually,” answers Alek.

Dylan looks up at him in surprise. “Who is it?”

Alek takes a deep breath.

But the words get stuck in his throat. He stutters once, twice.

Then, he leans over and kisses Dylan. 

He doesn’t know where it came from, but he meant for it to be quick. He figures he is going to get punched and frankly, he deserves it. You don’t just go around snogging people, especially not your friends! What he didn’t expect was for Dylan to drag him closer and kiss him back. 

They break apart. “I like you, too, dummkopf.” 

Suddenly, Alek can’t help but feel bold. “Do you want to go to the formal with me? And maybe even go on a date?”

Dylan’s smile falls. “There’s something I should tell you.”

Alek feels his spirits drop. Those words are never a good sign. “Alright.”

Dylan takes a deep breath. “Alek, I’m transgender, female to male. Technically, my name is Deryn.” 

Alek gives him a weird look. “Is that it?”

Dylan looks shocked. “You already knew?”

“Well, no. It’s kind of a huge shock and I’m going to need to process it, but it doesn’t really matter when it comes to how I feel. You made it seem like you had this big, terrible secret.” Alek leans over and presses his forehead to Dylan’s. “So how about that date, Mr. Dylan Sharp?”

Dylan smiles.

And answers him with another kiss.


End file.
